Farming and feasting in Iron Age Orkney: a comparison of livestock farming practices and dietary traditions at The Cairns, Mine Howe, Pool, and Howe, based on mortality profiles analyses of cattle, sheep/goat, and pig mandibles.

The principal aim of this thesis is to address livestock farming and husbandry practices of<br/>cattle, sheep, goats and pigs at four sites during the Orcadian Iron Age: The Cairns, Mine<br/>Howe, Pool and Howe. The core methodology utilised in this research applies the methods<br/>developed by Payne (1973) and Grant (1982) to record tooth eruption and wear in cattle,<br/>sheep, and pigs to generate mortality profiles for each species at each site. Those mortality<br/>profiles are then utilised for inter and intra-site comparison of domesticated species from<br/>each case study site. Original data for cattle, sheep and pigs were recorded at The Cairns,<br/>along with pigs from Pool and Howe. In the frame of this study, tooth eruption and wear<br/>previously recorded at Mine Howe, Pool, and Howe were reinterpreted. In addition, in order<br/>to facilitate the intra-site comparison, a new phasing has been utilised for Mine Howe cattle,<br/>sheep and pigs. Arable farming and environmental conditions during the Iron Age in Orkney<br/>are also considered in the discussion. However, some biases limit the interpretation, such<br/>as sample size and the limitation of using the mortality profile to determine female-to-male<br/>ratios.<br/>This research discusses the intensity of dairying in the Iron Age as well as other secondary<br/>products from livestock species such as meat, wool and traction. Along with the use of<br/>domesticated species’ primary and secondary products, this research also indicates the<br/>sheep milking. This project has also highlighted the presence of feasting at The Cairns and<br/>Mine Howe. Furthermore, this research also suggests that The Cairns and Mine Howe would<br/>correspond to a community of ‘consumers’, while Pool and Howe would be associated with<br/>‘producers’.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Master of Research (awarded by UHI)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Master's Thesis

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of the Highlands and Islands

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Bourgault, Kariane

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Mainland, Ingrid
• Carruthers, Martin

• zooarchaeology
• mortality profile
• tooth wear
• cattle
• sheep
• pigs
• diary
• meat
• iron age
• orkney
• atlantic

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/29002f5f-f824-40ea-b8e2-334a2588a29b

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/29002f5f-f824-40ea-b8e2-334a2588a29b